Water insecurity among seasonal agriculture workers: perspectives from Spanish professionals

BACKGROUND

Migrant seasonal agricultural workers face conditions of material vulnerability such as inadequate housing difficulties prevent access to running water supplies. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of professionals involved in the care and support of seasonal migrant agricultural workers, as it relates to water access and water consumption and their impact on these workers' health, in a context of COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A qualitative exploratory and descriptive study was conducted in 2021 as part of a larger research project, based on 63 personal semi-structured interviews with professionals who provided support to seasonal migrant agricultural workers in three Spanish autonomous regions. COREQ checklist was used for reporting. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and imported into ATLAS.ti-9 for an inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The results have been structured into two main themes: (1) Accessing and obtaining water; and (2) Health problems related to water consumption. Seasonal migrant agricultural workers experience barriers to obtaining safe water for hygiene, cleaning, food preparation and drinking. The implementation of regulations to reduce COVID-19 transmission resulted in improved hygiene levels in the migrants' quarters, including access to safe drinking water.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that water insecurity experienced by migrant seasonal agricultural workers in Spain results from their poor living conditions and causes health problems related to a lack of hygiene and the use of unsafe water. Sustainable solutions are needed beyond the pandemic in order to provide migrant workers with adequate living conditions and ensure their water needs are fulfilled.

Experiences of insecurity among non-standard workers across different welfare states: A qualitative cross-country study

In recent decades, economic crises and political reforms focused on employment flexibilization have increased the use of non-standard employment (NSE). National political and economic contexts determine how employers interact with labour and how the state interacts with labour markets and manages social welfare policies. These factors influence the prevalence of NSE and the level of employment insecurity it creates, but the extent to which a country's policy context mitigates the health influences of NSE is unclear. This study describes how workers experience insecurities created by NSE, and how this influences their health and well-being, in countries with different welfare states: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Interviews with 250 workers in NSE were analysed using a multiple-case study approach. Workers in all countries experienced multiple insecurities (e.g., income and employment insecurity) and relational tension with employers/clients, with negative health and well-being influences, in ways that were shaped by social inequalities (e.g., related to family support or immigration status). Welfare state differences were reflected in the level of workers' exclusion from social protections, the time scale of their insecurity (threatening daily survival or longer-term life planning), and their ability to derive a sense of control from NSE. Workers in Belgium, Sweden, and Spain, countries with more generous welfare states, navigated these insecurities with greater success and with less influence on health and well-being. Findings contribute to our understanding of the health and well-being influences of NSE across different welfare regimes and suggest the need in all six countries for stronger state responses to NSE. Increased investment in universal and more equal rights and benefits in NSE could reduce the widening gap between standard and NSE.

Non-standard employment and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a qualitative study

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic entailed a deep economic crisis that affected working populations globally. However, non-standard workers (NSW, understood as workers with temporary contracts, not working full-time, self-employed or not paying taxes/making active pension contributions) were more severely hit than workers with more stable and protected jobs. The aim of this study thus was to explore the experiences of NSW during the pandemic and how these affected their mental health in Spain, one of the countries in Europe with the highest shares of temporary and self-employment and the one that applied the most restrictive containment measures during the first waves of the pandemic.

Methods

As part of a larger multi-country study, 41 semi-structured interviews with NSW aged 25-55 were conducted between March-July 2021 and analyzed thematically.

Results

Analyses revealed that job loss or insecurity and subsequent reductions in income were central to the experience of NSW during the pandemic in Spain, which affected their mental health negatively. Both the existing social protection framework and the policies deployed during the pandemic to outweigh these consequences were perceived by NSW as insufficient or could not access them due to their condition of NSW. This was particularly the case for self-employed and temporary agency workers. Moreover, NSW expressed that containment measures and reductions in income prevented them from engaging in activities to cope with such adversities, aggravating their mental health.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that, in Spain, the pandemic intensified but also made more visible the defenselessness of NSW (especially self-employed and temporary agency workers) in terms of social protection in the event of sudden unemployment or reductions in income. This situation had harmful consequences for their mental health. Yet, new policies and measures fall short in fitting the necessities of an increasing share of the workforce.

Key messages

• In Spain, non-standard workers are more vulnerable to and defenseless against sudden unemployment or reductions in income.

• The pandemic intensified this problem and put them at higher risk of suffering from poor mental health.

The Health of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Europe: A Scoping Review

Agriculture is a niche market for migrant workers, and one of the sectors with the highest rates of accidents, deaths and work-related health problems. To review and synthesize existing literature on the health conditions of international migrant agricultural workers in Europe. A scoping review of scientific literature published until March 2021 was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, WoS and OpenGrey, following Arksey & O'Malley's theoretical framework where 5894 references were retrieved and screened. Nineteen articles were selected, reviewed and synthetized. The country with the highest number of studies published (n = 9) was Spain. The design of the studies was mainly cross-sectional (n = 13). The main health problems identified were: lower back pain and other musculoskeletal problems, dermatitis, gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, anxiety, stress, depression and barriers to access healthcare services. Migrant agricultural workers are a neglected population with conditions of vulnerability and precariousness, physical and mental health problems and poor working conditions. Interventions to reduce or eliminate language, cultural and administrative barriers to ensure access to healthcare services are needed, as well as designing a common European framework to protect the rights of migrant agricultural workers and their families.

[Agricultural work and migration in Spain: socio-labour precariousness and health (AGROMISALUD project)]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the influence of job insecurity and social exclusion on the health of migrant men and women working in the agricultural sector in Spain.

METHOD

Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected in four Spanish autonomous regions (Catalonia, La Rioja, Murcia, and Andalusia) between 2021 and 2022. First, semi-structured personal interviews with at least 40 professional key informants or experts (from NGOs, associations, health, social services, trade unions, agricultural cooperatives, politics, and cultural mediators). Second, semi-structured personal interviews combined with participatory techniques (body mapping and photovoice) will be conducted with 40 migrant men and women working in agriculture. Thirdly, a cross-sectional study with an estimated sample of 400-500 migrants working in agriculture, based on the National Health Survey and the Living Conditions Survey.